How Ben Shelton Changed his Forehand Technique for 2024
Vložit
- čas přidán 26. 05. 2024
- Ben Shelton has one of the biggest forehands on tour but his team made the decision to change his technique for the 2024 season. What changes did they make and how can they help his forehand in 2024? Jason Frausto breaks down all the changes.
To find more in depth analysis like this and exclusive stats on the best players in the world, visit TennisUnleashed.net.
Dartfish Pro S 10 software and Binary Sports Video X were used to break down this match with statistics and 3D analysis. You can visit dartfish.com to find out more about their software and technique analysis solutions.
IMPROVE YOUR SINGLES GAME NOW! 👉 bit.ly/2Q1vGVp
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
👉 IMPROVE YOUR FOREHAND TODAY!
FREE Forehand Training bit.ly/2Q1vGVp
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
🗣 TALK TO ME ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA!
Twitter ► bit.ly/2YsNdc9
Facebook ► bit.ly/2PXJMHr
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
👨👩👧👦 JOIN THE LARGEST TENNIS FAMILY IN THE WORLD!
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
👋 About this channel : My name is Jason Frausto and I’m the creator of TennisUnleashed.net. I dedicated 20 years of my life to studying the best players in the world technically and tactically. I've worked with over 50 ATP/WTA players as a Performance Analyst for the United States Tennis Association. 15 of those players are currently ranked top 100 in the world. I did technique and tactical analysis for players ranked inside the top 10 in the world that have won Grand Slams. I’m happy to have you here, let’s work on your game together.
The information contained on this CZcams Channel and the resources available for download/viewing through this CZcams Channel are for educational and informational purposes only.
#JasonFrausto #ImproveYourTennisGame #FreeOnlineTennisLessons - Sport
It seems pretty clear that Ben Shelton has big goals for 2024. You don’t make these kinds of changes without long term success in mind. Is Ben a top ten player by the end of 2024?
-Jason Frausto
His backhand is a way weaker than his forehand, i thought he would have changed it first
That’s a good point. It will be interesting to see if he hits his backhand better in 2024.
-Jason Frausto
I think he has to improve his serve as far as precision concerns as we saw from us open with djokovic as well
Excellent point. Hitting it fast is great but how precise is your serve? Great insight.
-Jason Frausto
Going to be top 10 regardless of change
I always thought his forehand looked a little over complicated, glad to see he’s making it more simple
You were definitely right. Let’s see how well the change pays off in 2024. Top 10 for Ben this year or higher?
-Jadon Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed are you expecting the change in technique to stick? Or will playing a tight match cause him to revert back to old technique?
Great question. Now that the cat is out of the bag and his opponents will be aware of the change I think they’ll try to isolate his backhand even more than before. I think he’ll be able to stick to the change under pressure. That’s a huge change to make in 6 weeks though, very impressive he’s changed it that much that fast.
-Jason Frausto
Your commentary is very informative for me.
Your commentary on games, form, and many other things are a great learning experience for me.
I am Japanese, so I don't understand all English, but I will try my best to study English so that one day I can understand all your commentaries.
Thank you for enriching my tennis life!
Please keep up the good work of posting videos!!
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoy it and find it helpful. You’re doing a great job with your English. Thanks for watching.
-Jason Frausto
Awesome. That’s why I love my forehand. Simple take back and I hit on the rise. Players with big take backs are always hurt by my fast low flying flat forehand and their timing gets screwed. Thanks for this Jason. Re affirms my commitment to mine 🏆 happy new year too
You’re welcome and I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Kerp up the great hitting on your channel. Always fun to watch. Enjoy the New Year as well.
-Jason Frausto
This is phenomenal analysis. Subbed.
This was an excellent analysis. Thank you
I appreciate the kind words. I’m glad it was helpful.
-Jason Frausto
Would be interested on your take on his right hand orientation and right elbow position. It's seems the new swing marries with his right hand position ie thumb up elbow down. In his old elbow position I would ask him to try thumb down ala Lendl which would lift his right elbow balancing out the issue with the high left elbow and inverted rac face...there are certain synergies between the front and back elbow positions during the swing that need to be balanced.
Great analysis, Jason! I noticed after the contact, Ben's arm (elbow) seems a bit more tucked-in as compared to others like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic. Would that have any pros/cons?
pausing right before contact helps show the diffrence for sure I could not see it in real time but I could tell when I paused at the point before the hit the ball
Great video. We will see how he does in 2024!
Thank you. Looking forward to the rest of the 2024 season.
-Jason Frausto
Super interesting analysis 👍
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
-Jason Frausto
In my opinion, the reason they changed the technique is that raising the elbow while throwing the forehand can cause shoulder pain. It is also worth considering that these ligaments also hurt when serving. We saw the consequences of shoulder injuries, in particular tendonitis, at the US Open as a result of cupping therapy.
Funny, I was just watching your old video on Ben's forehand yesterday.
Seems like good changes. I have been watching Ben's and Sinner's techniques for inspiration.
Love the coincidence in timing. Are you going more Sinner or Shelton style with your technique? I guess new Shelton style or Sinner?
-Jason Frausto
@TennisUnleashed I really like the new changes Shelton done. But I also like the big racket flip of Sinner. So I am simply going to go out on court and try stuff for a bit. But I am leaning towards new Shelton technique.
Awesome. Happy hitting.
-Jason Frausto
so basically he's going from next gen to "modern forehand"
Right on it…obviously better if he can hit same type of power with more compact swing👍 he is playing to win slams at this point.
Indeed. He’s got big goals and this change proves he’s serious about his career. He’s a competitor.
-Jason Frausto
Great idea for a video... I think the change in ground shots to get to top 10, was needed....Just for longer, and PRECISE rallys...
Thank you. I think it’s the right move for the reasons you stated. Let’s see if he can make a good run at AO24.
-Jason Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed Yeah I didn't like how flat his ball was on the ground strokes.... I mean it's okay if you come to the net and you hit a flat ball but to be precise I think you need more spin but I like what he's doing I think he's top 10 easily top five in the near future
@@TennisUnleashed Did you see him practicing with Nadal that should help a lot
@@BasicBeachCommunity1 Yes. Ben has a lot of potential and he’s good for the game. Good to see him practicing with one of the greats.
-Jason Frausto
I did simular thing with my forehand because of arm injury. Started hiting with lower elbow and decided to stay with this even with healtjy arm. More stable and solid stroke overall
Great self discovery on your part. Glad to hear you’re playing pain free.
-Jason Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed Generally i consider "racket tip up" Forehands easier and more versatille. And guys like Rune Baez or Wawrinka have huge Forehands without this high elbow
Excellent point about the tip up versus pointed forward. We’re getting to the point now where everyone knows the most efficient technique and why they should use it.
-Jason Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed I think technique is also individual thing and there are people who can hit better with higher elbow. But also it looks like many people - me included get caught in a trap of "next gen forehand"
After 28 years break i came back to tennis and tried modernize my game
But it looks like my juniors "modern forehand" is still enough even this days
And btw next gen forehands existed when i trained tennis as a kid. Guys like Lendl or Sampras did almost the same thing back then
@TennisUnleashed ... when you look for two strokes to compare ... how do you find strokes to make a fair comparison? The balls Ben received here were very different, and he chose to do different things to the ball with each of these strokes. How do we tell if the difference we see are from changes to his fundamental mechanics, or just natural differences stroke-to-stroke? - Thanks!
I looked at quite a few forehands from this practice session and others that have come out since. Different contact heights here but I’m at the mercy of what’s currently available. I have a feeling commentators will be talking about this new Shelton forehand in the weeks to come. His team definitely took the time to change the technique. Let’s see how it plays out in the coming weeks.
-Jason Frausto
Thank you @@TennisUnleashed ... the way you explained his stroke was very helpful. It makes me wonder when I analyze film of my strokes, what to look for that represents the core of my stroke, and what is just natural shot variation. Your video is helpful on multiple levels. Thanks again.
I wrote Ben off mid23 but he made tremendous improvement on the backhand. Have you analyzed this mid season change? The depth of men’s tennis is unreal so I doubt Ben will approach the top ten in 24.
I haven’t had the chance to look at his backhand yet but I definitely will first chance I get. Top 10 is a tough place to get to, the depth you talked about is only going to get better. I do think part of this forehand change might have to do with Wimbledon? Ben is tougher to beat in best of 5 because of his serve, my guess is this move had to do with Wimby as well.
-Jason Frausto
Oh one more big change I noticed but you didn’t point out. In the follow-through, the old way you can see his hitting elbow didn’t move much, still stays on left side of his body, while in the new way the elbow keeps moving around the body, meaning he now uses the body rotation more, adding power, which can make up for the lost power due to shorter swing path. Also I think it will help reduce chances for injury on his elbow and wrist because the old way used too much of the elbow and wrist. You can pause the video around 1:07 to see this.
I would like to see one about his forehand in matches, he seems to almost always finish above the head.
Wasn’t mentioned but I think one key component that might’ve been apart of the right frame was the follow through. I think his lack of depth in the court is in how much he brushes on the back of the ball, rather than staying with it? You wonder why Tiafoe’s atrocious strokes aren’t being retooled, esp. with him slipping in the rankings?
I noticed what you mentioned. It seems he is moving away from the "next-gen" take-back and adopting a more Federer-esque style take-back. Federer style take-back definitely makes it easier to take balls on the rise.
You’re right. It will be interesting to see how he performs with the change. I think he believes he can be #1.
-Jason Frausto
With his serve this seems to be making his game a little more suited to faster courts, maybe even grass. Looks much cleaner/robust
Nice to see him willing to make difficult technical tweaks. The best are willing to make those adjustments to increase their ceiling. AO24 should be interesting.
-Jason Frausto
Great analysis! Very hard to see the change in normal speed but very evident when you slow it down. This change will definitely help Shelton out allowing him to take the ball earlier and give him more time. I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll beat Djokovic at some point and win a slam. American tennis will be back with Shelton! 🇺🇸💪👍
Thanks Coach Adrian. I think you're right, I do think this will propel Ben forward and put an American back in contention for slams. This is the mindset you want to see from a player, willingness to make changes that can benefit you. Djokovic has that mindset, it worked out pretty well for him ;)
-Jason Frausto
for me it is not har to see the change : in 2023 he had stiff motion after contact point and less shoulder rotation(after cantact point)
@@TennisUnleashed ben is obnoxious, hopefully he gets B slapped
What’s his forehand grip? Western or semi?
Heelpad looks to be on 6.5. So soft semi.
-Jason Frausto
He’s now emulating the Taylor Fritz forehand!
Definitely Fritz like now with the swing. More simple overall and compact. Federer started the trend.
-Jason Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed Fed has a more straight forehand whereas Fritz is more compact. Not exactly the same.
That’s a good point. I’m only referring to the “half loop”, not bent versus straight arm. I’m just curious how this is going to play out for Ben. AO24 should be really interesting :)
-Jason Frausto
He is a fantastic tennis players but he's not athletic enough to take it to the next level IMHO🤔
@@counsela9240Federer was also a fantastic athlete, Fritz isn't a good athlete. Paul, Frances, Korda, Shelton are all fantastic athletes. Fritz has fantastic technique but he's just not athletic.
I remember he actually changed it halfway through the last season. Or did he change it again?
Awesome Analysis, thank you Jason. Can you tell me which Forehand grip Shelton is using? Greetings from Germany!
Thank you. It appears to be a soft semi-western grip with the heel pad of his hand positioned on bevel 6.5 for the bevel position.
-Jason Frausto
Funny i saw some footage of his match in Adelaide and thought it looked quite different, the way he was setting up for the swing. Apparently i was right.
He does cupping on that shoulder a little much. I suspect pain is a factor for the change. He has been getting good results with his forehand but if he is in pain he won't last
long on tour healthy. It would be hard to make such a big change if pain was not a factor I feel.
Definitely a good point on the cupping. I’m not so sure that’s Forehand related based on the area he has the cupping marks. Great insights, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
-Jason Frausto
Ben Shelton exhibits early tennis mechanics of early age tennis instruction. Once an athlete internalizes technique it becomes resident (dominant status), and can be repeated (bad habit)! Considerable specialized motor conditioning and great effort are required to transfer prior learned resident mechanics to secondary status (non-dominant) in competition settings.
His “college forehand” doesn’t look that loopy or complicated… but if it’s changed for the better Kudos. 👏 👏
Curious to see how this works out. Ben has a power game, Big serve followed by big forehand he had the game to take djoker to distance but his temperament and nerves were in the way.
When something is working don’t need to change it.
I’m very curious myself if this is going to make the difference between him and a position in the top 3 or even higher? My guess is he’s so strong they think he won’t lose much power.. 2024 will be interesting.
-Jason Frausto
We watched different matches then. His big swings got exposed. Lost because Novak was better not cause of nerves. Serve needs better placement and disguise, made a great change already by reducing all that's going on in the forehand. That's the mistake of the next gen forehand, takes too long to unload. Watch their serves return stats from the forehand (e.g. Musetti, Khachanov, Shelton last year, Kokkinakis, Kyrgios, Shapovalov) they all suffer from the time it takes. Changing directions is a pain with it
Even before you've mentioned Federer, I'm was about to say that 2024 looks more like Roger's.
you didnt touch on one of the biggest changes which how hes cleaned up his swing and follow through. he's no longer looking like hes muscling the ball through contact hes not extending better through the contact zone and keeping the ball on the strings cleaner
You make a good point. Great insight.
-Jason Frausto
I think the shorter take back will equal more power cause he will catch the ball more in front and will have less shanks
Good point. Can’t wait to see the new technique in action.
-Jadon Frausto
Please upload a video about nadal come back match
Im impressed how he turned to CZcams short into a ten minute video. I just watched the last video and stole bens technique. Wtf!!!
Tiafoe also has that exaggerated unnecessary movement on his backswing. Agassi could give him some tips on a compact, clean and efficient stroke. Do you think they developed it because when they were younger they thought it looks cooler?.
So who taught him the old forehand since he was young? Probably his dad? I noticed it looked a little unorthodox. Kudos to his team and him for willing to change it. Retraining muscle memory is challenging and requires thousands of repetitions. Well, that’s why his main job is play tennis and he probably trained every day last month including the holidays, hitting thousands of forehand with the new technique.
Watched Shelton lose to Mannarino in Melbourne. Forehand backswing still seemed to long and complicated
man.. so many online coaches here. lol whether low or high ball, it doesn't matter, changes he pointed out are evident. next-gen forehand technique is over rated. Modern technique offers the same in more compact and simpler form. fed did it, novak does it and they are the living proof. i doubt he's gonna loose much power to make it much difference. IMO, that change is good thing in hoping he can react quicker now thus makes less error with his forehand.
Thank you for saying it. I miss the days of most people just enjoying the content. Can we go back to 2013 please? ;)
-Jason Frausto
They un-next-gen-ed his FH.
Indeed they did. Let’s see if it helps him this year.
-Jason Frausto
What could be interesting is to know what make him change , and in what situation he is looking to improve with this new forehand
It’s going to mechanically be less efficient and less consistent with more moving parts…
@@TennisPro4686289 I think he has more injury risk with his new forehand because less relax and using to much his upper body and shoulder when he hit
Hey Jason , great video as always. Are you not going to make the Australian Open brackets video like you did with Us Open?
Interesting, now is similar to Rune's forehand. Less spare parts means simplicity and at high level, having to deal with deep and fast balls, as you say, simplicity is advisable.
Definitely an interesting change. Now that he’s made the adjustment time for his team to shift focus to other areas. Looking forward to this season to see how he does.
-Jason Frausto
Is to take the ball early because of thr fastest of the game!¡ That's my opinion; what about you?¿
He should be able to take the ball early more consistently now. It should also help when he faces someone like Djokovic who breaks you down with depth. Looking forward to seeing how this works out for Ben.
-Jason Frausto
not sure it's the forehand he needs to improve. everyone has good or great forehand in the top 20.
Nice analysis, I do see that most of these movements are affected more by open stance/closed stance positioning of the body in relation to the ball. There are some small changes to technique but that can also be to due to the type of incoming ball. Love your input and breakdown of the body mechanics!
And he looks better dressed lol
Like Sock and Kyrgios, his technique will cause him issues physically as he gets past 25 years old.
I think his main focus should be eliminating excess movement in core, shoulders and head. Very sloppy above the waist
I can see why you would address that Tim. He’s a big guy carrying a lot of mass. Almost a football player on a tennis court. In his match in Brisbane yesterday his movement was suspect. Wonderimg if he’s too big to ever be a top 5 guy? Nobody else in the top 5 is carrying that much upper body mass.
-Jason Frausto
I@@TennisUnleashed I am not so sure the mass is the problem. Could be a part of the problem. Identifying his movement issues will be difficult and fixing them more so. I have been working on a book about why American's struggle. Ben is just another example of decades of sub par movement. Here is a stab. Split Step is too high, particularly on his return. His legs look out of line. Watch him walk. Some imbalance there. It would take slow mo to identify, but seems like one hip has less flexibility than the other. Core strength plus your suggesting of less upper body would help. His upper body often out of control leading to sloppy first move. The USTA under Higuerus talked alot o movement but did little refined analysis. Ben's posture is not great. It would take some serious analysis but I think i he addresses these things he could do some damage. If not he will just get tired.
Oh I remember my time at USTA PD, good times but very little was worked on in terms of movement minus things done with the personal training staff. The main focus was technique and tactics/court position.
If this is Tim Mayotte I would love to have you on a video podcast to talk tennis in general or American men’s tennis and get your take on it. Shoot me an email address to get in touch Tim. jason@tennisunleashed.net
-Jason Frausto
They should be fixing that backhand smdh
I’m curious what that shot will look like and do in 2024. Should be interesting.
-Jason Frausto
Sad he just lost to Safiullin...his return must be improved
The tour just keeps getting deeper and deeper. Agreed that Ben needs to work on his return game. So many good players capable of beating each other on a given day. Only the truly exceptional will stand above.
-Jason Frausto
same changes, Thiem made on his forehand
imho analysizng single shot from the past vs single shot latest training its not a good basis for any conclusion - there is a change. It might be one shot that is a little bit different - single shot, you would need to analyze whole training or match to say that there really is a difference. During one single training you will find 20 diffrenet shelton forehands - all with slight diffrences
That’s true. But you’re assuming I’ve only looked at one shot before making this video. Just because I’m only analyzing one shot in this video doesn’t mean I’ve only looked at one shot before creating this video. I was a full time pro analyst for a living. I wouldn’t put this information out there if I wasn’t sure the changes were made. Thanks for watching.
-Jason Frausto
@@TennisUnleashed ok understood
I always dislikef that next gen back swing, just makes the swing larger for nothing but a significant loss in timing. And the changes he made were very visible as soon as you played the two clips. Honestly i like his new takeback.
Forehand is much worse now and he cant hit a forehand return. Its because he is hitting with more arm now instead of taking it with his body. Hes off now with his body weight. First forehand was much more natural
its kinda an alcaraz copy. Look at the grip on the throat, top pointing 45 degrees, heavy torso rotation. main difference is the bent elbow
Вообще не понимает, за счет чего получается резкий удар! Несет ахинею про плечи,то, сё...
my view, you waste a tremendous amount of time with his change from next gen preparation when .. what will make the most difference on any forehand really begins at contact with the ball and the follow through which you even omit ...
Disappointed 😞
just wasting time fighting against innate biomechanics...
Stopped at 1minute mark, id say right elbow lower.
Too much cosmetic talking .. take in consideration right now on faster courts ! Shortened the swing and lower prep. Indian wells and the spring swing slower courts - bigger swings .. so Yes maybe he worked on it on purpose maybe just the surface… but biomechanics still the same!!! And yes the contact hight does the difference
Shelton needs an even bigger maturity change. He should binge watch Sinner, Alcaraz, Federer, Nadal, even Djokavic to learn how to behave in public. Obviously his dad is a very poor parent and can't teach him life after pre-school.
Title shoulda been, how cocky boy changed his forehand - and still lost in the 3rd round! Bah Haaa Haaa!